Energy Drink Ingredients
Wine is grapes. Sure, there’s a lot of different kinds, but who really cares? Beer is hops, barley, water–again, pretty boring. Anyone who’s reasonably intelligent would look somewhere to see what they’re putting in their body. Especially if it makes you warm and tingly. Here, then, is your research, handed to your ass on a silver platter.
- Caffeine: The most common stimulant, found in coffee, Coke and Mountain Dew. Found in much higher quantities in energy drinks. Most energy drinks contain between 70 and 200 mg. A 5 oz cup of coffee contains 110-150mg for drip, 65-125mg for percolated, and 40-80 mg for instant. Dr. Pepper gives you 61mg, and a can of Coke provides 50mg. A full can of RockStar has 150mg. A lot of people experience side effects above 200mg, but I’ve personally known people that can handle a full gram at a time. They looked like an ADD monkey having a seizure, but they didn’t die. I don’t recommend it.
We’re tracking the caffeine levels of virtually all energy drinks. Go knock yourself out.
- Taurine: Taurine is an amino acid that your body naturally produces. It helps regulate heartbeat and muscle contractions, and energy levels. Usually your body makes enough that you don’t need to supplement. It’s thought, but not proven, that under “stress conditions” like illness, physical exertion, or injury, the body does not create enough and supplements can help. Taurine might be a “mild inhibitory neurotransmitter”, some studies show it helps with excitable brain states. While this isn’t exactly what we want, maybe it helps level us out so we function better with elevated levels of other stimulants.
- Guarana: Guarana comes from plants in South America. Amazonians have used it for a long time to increase alertness and energy. It’s more dense in caffeine than coffee beans (3-4% vs 1-2%). It’s not just called “caffeine” because it contains a couple other things: theobromine and theophylline. They’re found in coffees and teas, and are known stimulants. Marketing retards will sometimes call this one guaranine, as if it’s something different. It’s not.
- B Vitamins: These are essentially the things that help you convert crap to energy. Crap like sugar, which is found in abundance in energy drinks. The jury’s still out on whether or not they increase energy levels via supplementation, but they will sure help warding off the hangovers when you mix that energy drink with alcohol. Search the interweb for info on proper dosing of the different vitamins.
- Ginseng: Ginseng, an adaptogenic herb, is known to increase energy, has some anti-fatigue components, and supposedly relieves stress. Right now it’s suspected that gingseng helps stimulate the hypothalamic and pituitary glands, which then secrete something called adrenal corticotropic hormone. With a name like that, it can’t possibly be bad. Ginseng is nothing that’s naturally created by your body, so having this in your drink certainly won’t hurt. 200mg/day seems to be the standard dose, but you can safely take up to 2700mg.
- Ginkgo Biloba: It’s suspected that ginkgo biloba is the longest-living organism on this planet. Using the theory that you get something’s (or someone’s) powers by eating the brains, eating the oldest thing on the planet is probably a good thing. Or maybe it’s such a hardy mofo that it’ll kill you instantly. But that’s never been the case. It helps memory rentention, concentration, circulation, acts as an anti-depressant, and even shows signs of helping people with Alzheimer’s. The German government recognizes it as something that helps with memory loss, concentration, and depression. That’s some kick-ass stuff right there. 60mg is a standard supplementation dose, and you can easily take 240mg. If you don’t get this with your drinks, I’d highly recommend supplementing your diet with it.
- L-Carnitine: An amino acid usually created by your liver and kidneys, this stuff helps up your metabolism and energy levels. Because of the way it interacts with your body, it may act as a thermogenic and help increase weight loss and endurance during exercise. The jury’s still out on whether or not you need to supplement unless you have an unusual diet, but you can take 2-6 grams without worry. Make sure you get L-Carnitine, which is the type your body creates and can use. D-Carnitine is “inactive” and may actually hurt endurance levels. Some people take this to support their heart, so putting it in an energy drink that increases your heart rate… good stuff
- Sugars: Glucose is the body’s preferred fuel. That’s why you get hyper with a lot of sugar. Energy drinks contain a ton of sugar. Therefore, energy. It’s a carbohydrate, and a lot of exercise regiments suggest a good dose of sugar for workouts lasting more than an hour. A lot of athletes take it in the form of rice or noodles, so they have timed absorption. You can take a bunch of this easily… 150 grams in your system might get you wired, but probably won’t hurt you.
- Antioxidants: Antioxidants are things that help your body gracefully recover from the damage of free radicals. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, so claiming that your energy drink has a lot of antioxidants is like saying you’re buying really expensive orange juice. But they’re good, they help fend off illness and prevent cellular damage. Vitamins C and E, Vitamin A (aka retinol, beta-carotene), and selenium are all antioxidants.
UPDATE: See the new sugar in energy drinks database for a sortable table of beverage sugar content.
421 Comments
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this is so cool, like OMG!!! my friend nick wants to say something now, she has boy toys
I am so totally cracking ^!!! this website is the best you’re right people with too much caffeine do look like ADD monkeys having seizures.
hey just to comment on your thing darren not everyone who works has the same amount of energy when they’re done. some people have jobs where there are on there feet the whole time. these people feel tired because they either a)are dependant already on caffeine and think they need caffeine to perk them up or b)their brain connects excersize with physical work which they have aleady been doing all day. if they want to work out they want extra energy so they are not falling over dead asleep on their bike/treadmill/living room floor. not every1 is a worthless pile of crap if they drink an energy drink just because you bike 25 miles aday doesn’t mean you’re an exception. you have built up a tolerence so your brain processes your food in a more efficient way. you don’t need to be down on every1 else who sits in front and is a bit wiped out!!! if you want america to straighten out you should at least try working on your feet all day and then do your 25 mile bike routine then see how much you feel like laying down and taking a long nap or maybe try just working on your feet all day and see how much you just want to sit down and relax because those of us who actually work on our feet for 13 hours are even more physically stressing themselves then you taking a bike ride!!!
not every1’s crap world hater
Its true, I watch a good amount of Television and play some video games AND drink Monster regularly I just get plenty of excercise skateboarding every day. My doctor says I’m one of his healthiest patients
Monster energy drink gave me aids.
Listen to the ones who use big words and try to act all smart they know what they are talking about, sorta… haha, either way caffeine should be outlawed its like nicotine both very badly addictive and never have any good long term effects anyway.
methinks you’re all retarded for caring!
Caffeine is addictive. We all know this. Caffeine also saves lives. Namely, the lives of my coworkers.
So… bitch all you want for its bad qualities. You can get cancer from your cell-phone, you can get run over by a bus, you’re gonna die eventually, be happy otherwise.
You should put cigarettes on here
nicotine kills in large doses
Almost a year ago I was drinking 2 pots of coffee a day, plus the free soda that I get at work. Then I got an issue of National Geographic with the cover article being “Why We Love Caffeine”. According to their data, I was consuming 4-8 times the healthy dosage of caffeine a day (with the coffee alone).
Since then I’ve switched to Half-Caff, and am cutting my sodas at work in half with Sprite. I wouldn’t have worried about it so much if it weren’t for the fact that I have an irregular heartbeat anyway, and I wasn’t aware how much the caffeine was affecting me.
I loves my coffee, and my caffeine. But use it responsibly. Apparently some 18 year old kid in Dublin died on the basketball court after chugging several Red Bulls before the game.
XS has an ungodly anount of B vitamins and you can get it with no sugar and no caffine
I have to say I can’t totally disagree w/anyone here because I know what addiction is. I will say that thoughs who are promoting exercise & a decent diet are absolutely right! As long as you don’t go crazy on the energy drinks I’m sure most of you will be fine. You do need to make an exception, especially if there is a family history of heart problems! In my case, there is, I drink caffeine free everything (which by the way still contains “some” caffiene) unless I don’t have that choice. The most healthy thing for any of us is to drink a lot of water, eat as good as you can & exercise. I don’t personally drink water from the faucet. I also have worked on my feet all day & that doesn’t mean a thing! Doing Cardiovascular exercises is completely different. Getting your heart rate up makes all the difference. An hour a day is a bit much for those who don’t normally exercise. If you can start yourself off at 30 minutes a day for just 3 days a week you’ll be able to 1)start feeling the difference & 2)eventually get to 4 days a week than 5 days than 45 minutes a day & so on. Once you get into it, you’ll wonder why you weren’t doing this years ago. And Yes, you will have more energy everyday because your healthy. Those drinks make you feel happy for the moment. Just like drugs & alcohol make people feel wonderful for the moment. (I know because I am a drug addict & alcoholic) What’s right is sensible & it’s sad that so many of us don’t know what sensible is. We all have heads on our shoulders, why do we need all these extra chemicals to make them work?!?!? I think it’s society. That’s just me though.
aim bitches…. lmfao… why the f*@k am i here????
I snorted 5 no-doz tablets.
If you want a caffeine hit this is the way to go.
Dann Martys and mdhatter are both morons, not only do you not have control of the language you are both gigantic dorks and should probably be taken out back and shot…
Energy Drinks are awsome but i wish they were better for u!! Red Bull is the best.
Yo,
I didn’t see nuthin bout heroin….so it must be o.k, right?
The truth is our friend, and it’s all simple numbers. I don’t care about all the stupidity surrounding caffeine, it’s usage, blah, blah, blah. IN THE END, caffeine does what it is supposed to, can be detrimental if used in excess, and can be beneificial to everyone’s health. Take a good look at the lists out there concerning caffeine content of beverages, drugs, etc.
Understand something, folks. It doesn’t take much caffeine to get you going, and the only way to figure out how much you need is to experiment. Try 1 (I hear the chuckling from the hard-core out there) Red Bull - or Amp, my fav and first, and tell me if you don’t feel great for a while. Write down how long you feel different, then examine how much caffeine you consumed.
My schedule (I am a bit sensitive to caffeine): I take a Rockstar to start my day - 150 mg and best for the money. I know that my “buzz” will wear off in 6-7 hours, so on my lunch, I’ll drink a Mountain Dew (roughly 100 mg in a 20 oz. bottle). I cruise through the day, no shaking, none of that crap. I never exceed 250 mg per day, and feel great all the time. My doctor says I’m healthy, and I have been on this schedule for 6 months.
Caffeine is addictive, and you may need more over time for the same benefit, but there is nothing wrong in taking it. Drink plenty of water, take a multivitamin, get some exercise, sleep at least 8 hrs./day if you can, and you will love yourself. Oh yeah, don’t forget a can of STFU to keep yourselves humble. Enjoy.
your side is very excellent
actually whoever said nicotine has not positive long term effects is retarded!
an article in the publication “Discover”
noted that nicotine has been very successfull in subsiding the effects of ADHD. It has also shown to preven Alzheimer’s disease, and increase memory encoding and recall(in healthy people and those who already have Alzheimer’s). It also improves the attention span of Parkinson’s patients.
caffine works great if you take small sips at a time.
woah. This is quite interesting. We’ve gone from Caffeine to killing to cussing to posers. Sounds fun! Lemme join!
xD
and more cussing………..
lol
now everyone left. I think I scared them! RAWR!
xD
kk
i get the message D; I can take a hint.
You don’t want me here.
FINE!
Bye
lol
jk xD
Seriously though, Byeeeeeee!
go kill urself katherine….lol hey is the drink BAWLS on here i couldnt find it.. and whats that one drink that the rapper fat joe sells???
nevermind i found it…
Energy drinks are pretty good, especially with alchol. Jack and bull is good drink, or starbursts (vodka and red bull). But my personal favorite is the Jagerbomb, so good. I don’t get really get affected by engergy drinks unless i have a ton of them. So having a few jagerbombs doesn’t cause me to have a heart attack from the combo of the depressent (alcohol) and the accelerant (red bull). Ahh Jagermeister, how we love thee.
HOW MANY LOGS WOOD IT TKE TO KILL ME, 53.72 TURDS.....
HAHAHA I LUV MY CAPS LOCK BUTTON
btw killing urself with water isnt the way.. TRY JUMPING FOOL
Can’t smoke me;
Can’t smoke me;
STOP DOOBIE TIME!
I’m a bit high;
there’s no doubt;
cuz i’ll light a twinkie,
then smoke it out;
don’t like it?
KISS MY ASS!
just cuz i smoke my grass!
Can’t smoke me;
Cant smoke me;
Can’t smoke me;
Can’t smoke me;
STOP DOOBIE TIME!
WU-OH WU-OH
WU-OH WUH!
WU-OH WU-OH
WU-OH WUH!
WU-OH WU-OH
WU-OH WU!
STOP DOOBIE TIME!
creatine doesn’t do anything for you if you take it as a suppplement like once a day…for it be consistently in your system it takes about 2 weeks and you’d need to take it everyday. its natural in redmeat and fish, and you’re body can only use so much. so if the company says like 80 grams of creatine! don’t do it, its bullshit and you’ll poop/piss it out and waste your money and damage your kidneys/liver. if you’re gonna take it, do it properly and measured. not from some shit as energy drink.
you need to help me. these fizzy drinks make my erection incredibly painful. the wife is not happy. cure my problems before i resort to cutting off my own penis, as well as my son and daughter’s. thank you and hello
I have jsut finished 5, 2 liters of mountain dew, and I am like…super man right now lol, everything ism oving slow motion for me 
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Careful with when you define something as an amino acid. Taurine and L-Carnitine are not the same type that are building blocks of proteins. Check out wikipedia if you don’t believe a chemistry nerd. Taurine is definetly right out of that category.